Elena Dementieva Biography
The Russian pro tennis player, Elena Vyacheslavovna Dementieva, was born in Moscow in 1981. Elena's rise to a professional athlete started at the tender age of thirteen when she entered and won her first international tournament in France. Four years later she became a professional tennis player in 1998, and took a spot in the top 100 players in 1999. It was during 1999 when she represented her home country of Russia against Venus Williams in the Fed Cup. However, Elena would face Venus again at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. She ultimately lost the gold medal to Venus, but brought home the silver medal. Also in that year, Elena was named the Women's Tennis Association's Most Improved Player after ranking in their top twenty. The next year she once again made the top twenty ranking, beating Anna Kournikova out of her four-year position as the top ranked Russian tennis player. Shortly after achieving this ranking Elena injured her shoulder while in Australia, forcing her to change her serve in order to be able to continue playing. Eventually her shoulder healed, and in 2003 she was able to play in the more tournaments than any of the other top ten ranked players, totaling twenty-seven for the year. That year she also won her first title with the Women's Tennis Association when playing at Amelia Island. That year while playing doubles in the Wimbledon Tournament she and her partner, Lina Krasnoroutskaya, beat Venus and Serena Williams and making it to the semifinals of the tournament. In 2004 Elena managed to rank at her highest in the singles category and was placed as the sixth best player in the world. Two other Russians also ranked in the top ten that year, making it the first time that three Russians have ever simultaneously appeared in the top ten rankings. Elena has continued to play in tournaments with the Women's Tennis Association and has achieved high rankings along the way. Her skills and her serve almost always guarantee that she will make it into the quarterfinals or semifinals of whatever tournament she plays in.

Elena Dementieva